Food & Receipts

“The Ultimate Guide to Crispy, Golden Fried Fish: A Family Feast with a Spicy, Aromatic Twist”

"Fried Trac fish in a savory fish sauce is a mouth-watering, flavorful dish perfect for a family meal. Join us in the kitchen as we show you how to whip up this delicious treat!"

Administrator

14 July, 2024

Preparation
15 minutes Cooking
20 minutes Serves
2 – 3 people

Cá trác, a popular fish known for its nutritional value, can be prepared in numerous delicious ways to enhance your family’s meals. Cá trác chiên nước mắm, or fried fish in fish sauce, is a flavorful dish with a simple and quick recipe. Let’s get into the kitchen and cook up this delightful treat for your family!

1 Ingredients for Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm

900g cá trác (snakehead fish)
4 cloves garlic
3 chili peppers
A pinch of black pepper
Seasonings: sugar, fish sauce, MSG, and water

Ingredients for Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm

Tip:
– To select the best cá trác, look for firm-fleshed fish with bright colors, clear eyes, and shiny, intact scales. Avoid fish with any discharge or unpleasant odors.
– If the fish has been treated with chemicals to keep it fresh, it may appear fresh with clear eyes, but the flesh will feel soft and mushy, lacking elasticity, and the scales may come off easily when pressed.

2 Cooking Instructions for Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm

Step 1 Prepare the Ingredients

Start by peeling the garlic cloves and slicing the chili peppers, and then clean and gut the fish, rinsing it thoroughly and patting it dry. To prevent oil splatter and ensure even cooking, sprinkle a little salt on both sides of the fish and gently rub it in. Be careful not to over-salt.

Preparing the Ingredients

Step 2 Make the Fish Sauce Dip

The key to a delicious dish lies in the sauce. Crush the garlic and chili peppers, and place them in a bowl. Then, add 3 spoons of sugar, 3.5 spoons of fish sauce, a pinch of MSG, and 4 spoons of water, stirring until everything is dissolved. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

Making the Fish Sauce Dip

Step 3 Fry the Fish

Heat a pan with some cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the fish in the pan and fry it over medium heat. Avoid flipping the fish too often; let it cook thoroughly on one side until golden brown before turning it over. This technique will help you fry the fish faster and prevent it from breaking apart.

Frying the Fish

Step 4 Cook the Sauce and Glaze the Fish

You can reuse some of the clean oil from the previous step to make the sauce. Combine the oil with the prepared fish sauce dip in a separate pan over low heat. Then, add the fried fish and continuously turn it over to coat it evenly with the sauce. Finally, throw in some chopped scallions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes before turning off the heat.

Cooking the Sauce and Glazing the Fish

Step 5 Serve

And there you have it—a mouthwatering dish of Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm ready to be savored! The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a generous coating of the savory fish sauce. It’s a perfect companion to a bowl of steamed rice.

Final Dish

3 Enjoy!

Cá trác chiên nước mắm boasts a delightful combination of textures and flavors. The fish is crisp and golden, with a firm and chewy texture, infused with the tangy fish sauce and a hint of spice from the chili peppers. It’s a wonderful choice for a family meal.

Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm

We hope this recipe guide has empowered you to create a delicious Cá Trác Chiên Nước Mắm dish with ease. Get cooking and treat your family to this flavorful meal! Good luck and happy eating!

Source: YouTube Food Combo

Frequently asked questions

The key to achieving a crispy, golden exterior and moist, flaky interior is to start with fresh, good-quality fish, and then to follow a few simple preparation steps. First, choose a firm-fleshed fish that holds up well to frying. Then, cut the fish into uniform pieces, about 1-inch thick. Next, pat the fish dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper, or a spice rub of your choice. Finally, dredge the fish in a light coating of flour, shaking off any excess.

Removing excess moisture from the surface of the fish is crucial because it ensures that the fish will fry properly. If the fish is wet, it will steam instead of fry, resulting in a soggy, unappetizing dish.

Oils with a high smoke point, neutral flavor, and the ability to produce a crispy texture are ideal for frying fish. Peanut oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil are excellent choices. Avoid using olive oil, as it has a low smoke point and can impart an undesirable flavor to the fish.

Maintain the oil temperature between 350°F and 375°F for optimal frying. This temperature range ensures that the fish cooks quickly and evenly, resulting in a crispy exterior and moist, flaky interior.

The frying time will depend on the thickness of your fish fillets or pieces. Generally, fry the fish for about 4-5 minutes per side for a 1-inch thick piece of fish. However, adjust the frying time as needed, as thinner pieces will cook faster, and thicker pieces may require a few additional minutes.

The fish is done frying when it turns a beautiful golden brown color and floats to the top of the oil. You can also use a fork to gently flake the thickest part of the fish to check for doneness. If the fish flakes easily and is opaque throughout, it’s ready to be removed from the oil.